Two-storey front extensions in County Armagh

County Armagh at a glance

Nation: Northern Ireland
Price region: Northern Ireland
Postcode areas: BT
Towns covered: 8 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: Planning permission is needed for anything built forward of the front wall.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a two-storey front extension involves

A two-storey front extension suits a house with a deep front garden or drive, where the back or side is not practical to extend. You get a design that respects the street, a planning application with drawings that show the extension in context, structural design, building regulations approval and the build, carried out by vetted teams working under S&K. At the free site visit we give you a frank view of whether the council is likely to accept it.

County Armagh towns we list: Craigavon (BT64), Portadown (BT62), Armagh (BT61), Moira (BT67), Keady (BT60) and Tandragee (BT63). Every other address in County Armagh is covered as well.

Guide price in Northern Ireland

A guide price for County Armagh: around £23,000–£31,500 for a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space). That works out at £1,940–£2,640 per m² of new floor space, including VAT at 20%. Professional fees for drawings and the structural engineer are listed separately on our prices page.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,780–£2,430 per m²	£21,500–£29,000
Standard	£1,940–£2,640 per m²	£23,000–£31,500
Premium	£2,320–£3,170 per m²	£28,000–£38,000

Rules in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the permitted development allowance for two-storey extensions is written for rear extensions, so a two-storey front extension needs a planning application. The fee is £347 per dwelling, and councils aim for an average of 15 weeks for local applications. Building control approval from the council under the Technical Booklets is also needed.

Approval in Northern Ireland: Planning application for works to a house: £347. Councils aim to decide local applications within an average of 15 weeks; many take longer.

Building control: Building control approval from the local council under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), using the Technical Booklets.

There is no Party Wall Act in Northern Ireland. Shared walls and boundaries are a matter of title and common law, so we agree access and record conditions with neighbours before work starts.

Getting the design right

Daylight to existing rooms

A front extension can make the hall and front rooms darker, especially if it covers an existing window. We position new windows to keep the house bright, and check that the new front bedroom gets good daylight without overlooking houses opposite.

Roof and gable design

A front extension is the most visible part of the house, so the roof needs to look deliberate: a matching gable, a hipped bay or a porch roof below a first-floor bay. We match the pitch and materials and keep the ridge below the main roof.

How we work in County Armagh

Understand the brief
At your home in County Armagh we agree what you need: bedroom count, bathroom, kitchen space, and how much garden you want to keep.
Get it approved
Once you're happy with the design we submit it to the council for County Armagh and deal with any questions from the planning officer.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building control sign-off, then a written fixed price for the build.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.

Towns we cover in County Armagh

Two-storey front extensions in County Armagh: questions

How much does a two-storey front extension cost in County Armagh?

In Northern Ireland our guide is £1,940–£2,640 per m² including VAT, so about £23,000–£31,500 for a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

Will the council approve a two-storey front extension?

It depends on the street. Councils are more cautious about front extensions than rear ones because they change the street scene. Approval is more likely where the house is set back, the projection is modest, the design echoes the original house and similar additions already exist nearby. We give you a frank view at the free site visit.

How far forward can a front extension go?

There is no fixed figure, because a two-storey front extension needs planning permission and the council decides case by case. Many councils' design guides favour a shallow projection that keeps a clear front garden. Our guide prices assume a modest example with a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space).

Can I combine a front extension with a porch?

Yes. A common approach is a two-storey bay or gable with a single-storey porch roof running across the front door. This gives a bigger hall and front bedroom while breaking up the mass of the front wall. Both parts are covered by the same planning application and building regulations approval.

Will I need planning permission in County Armagh?

County Armagh is in Northern Ireland. Planning permission is needed for anything built forward of the front wall.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in County Armagh · About two-storey front extensions